Quality has added importance

Gary Cross

Published 12:50 pm, Friday, August 24, 2012

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Gary Cross

Gary Cross

Quality has added importance

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In cotton we want pounds of lint, but we also want quality. In Texas, we produce what is called upland cotton. Over the years we have dramatically improved on quality issues such as staple length, color, yarn strength, grade and micronaire. This year, unlike last year, should be a better-quality year, especially for irrigated cotton.

I went through the international cotton school in Lubbock a week ago and talked with folks all over the world, and the overriding issue is quality and how to improve it.

Genetics in cotton have been the essence of improvement in quality. The weather has a lot to do with it, but we have little control over those issues.

Management of our cotton is something we have control over, and continue to improve on. Having less naps or fibers that bunch up is always something to improve on, and breeders and engineers in mills are looking at ways to keep nap numbers down. If you have too many naps, it affects strength and dyeing issues in the milling process.

An example is if you have a lot of naps and you dye the shirt black, there are little white spots all over the shirt where the nap or twisted fiber is the problem.

We have excellent cotton producers in Hale County and West Texas and they produce some of the highest quality cotton, not only in the U.S.A., but the world.

Ag meeting at Halfway research farm

A meeting is set at the Halfway Research Center for 8:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18.

I got to see real teamwork in action last Saturday. The Plainview Car Club had its annual car show and it was fantastic!

These guys and their families put together as nice a car show as I have ever been to, plus they raised money for local causes that benefit Hale County.

It is because of groups such as the Plainview Car Club that makes Plainview a better place to live.

They also brought business to town and, on top of that, brought great cars to town to show the pride of work put into each car.

Great job, Plainview Car Club!

Lawns

As you are well aware, we are getting close to September and we need to think about fall fertilization. Roots on grass have maximum uptake in the fall of the year.

If your lawn is drought stricken and you are not watering it, you may want to think twice spending the money.

You probably do not need any potassium or phosphorus, just a nitrogen application. You also may need a nitrogen application in the spring.

To apply 46-0-0, which is 46 percent nitrogen with 0 potassium and 0 phosphorus at a rate of 0.75 pounds of N per 1,000 square feet to a 5,000 square foot lawn, this is what you need to do. You take the 0.75 x 1 x 5,000 square feet. Divided by 1,000 square feet should give you a rate of 8.2 pounds of 46-0-0 fertilizer.